The following phrases appear so often that they are stale
and ineffective (at least to those readers who pay attention). Ready-made
phrases also substitute for thought: because we hear them so frequently, they
jump into our heads and then escape from our lips or onto the written page
without passing through our brain. Do not accept such prefabricated words
and thoughts. Select your own words and build your own thoughts - they will
be stronger than the prefabricated kind. Some of these words, such as 'global'
and 'millennium', are legitimate, but thoughtful writers will avoid them because
thoughtless writers use them so often.

'the fact of the matter
is ...' 'the fact that ...'

'window of opportunity',
'meeting the challenge', 'level playing field'

'send a message' (to
anyone about anything) as in 'The president is sending a strong message to
his opponents.'

Here are more from 'Woe Is I' by P. T. O'Connor: back to the drawing board,
beat a dead horse, blessing in disquise, boggles the mind, bone of contention,
can of worms, can't see the forest for the trees, come to a head, draw a blank,
each and every, easier said than done, few and far between, food for thought,
forseeable future, get nowhere fast, glass ceiling, grind to a halt, heated
argument, in the nick of time, innocent bystander, it goes without saying,
last but not least, meaningful dialogue, seriously consider, tip of the iceberg,
up in the air, viable alternative.

More inspiration from the Olympics: carrying the hopes and tears (hopes and
fears?), going to the mat, when all is said and done, reach deep inside, hard
on the heels, resting on the shoulders of ..., venue (meaning arena or stadium),

Cliché and dead metaphor defined: Kane
distinguishes between a cliché ('a trite expression, devalued by overuse')
and a dead metaphor (old metaphors still useful in everyday diction,
such as the key to the problem or the heart of the matter).
According to Kane, clichés attempt to be original and fail whereas dead metaphors
do not try to be original. I suggest you avoid using any familiar phrase (unless
you are using it for effect), whether cliché or dead metaphor.

Jargon. Scientists, technicians, and other specialists often need
and use technical language to communicate with each other. If both
the writer and reader understand the technical language, the language would
not be labeled 'jargon'. If the reader doesn't understand the technical language,
however, it's 'jargon'. Writers may use jargon intentionally (to mystify,
impress, or confuse the reader) or unintentionally. If you respect your reader,
do not use jargon.

Consider the following sentence: The
guild of Rhinolophoidea at Kuala Lompat exhibited ecomorphological structure
that was nonrandom in phylogeny-free multivariate morphospace.